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Bike safety – the golden rules to teach your child

Top tips to keep your child safe out and about on their scooter, trike, balance bike or bike

Riding a scooter, trike, balance bike or bike of any kind is a fun, healthy and social way to travel to nursery, school or anywhere really. So it's no surprise that more and more children are becoming outdoor fans.

But despite all the benefits, we know there can be worrying safety concerns, particularly when our children are old enough to ride to school. RoSPA offers a pretty extensive guide on how to ride a scooter and when, while a Bikeabililty cycling proficiency course is the best way to make sure your child is safe cycling on the road. There are lots of other things we can do to keep our future Tour De France winners safe...

Wear a helmet

Wearing a helmet could save your child's life. Surprisingly, it's not a legal requirement for children to wear helmets but some schools have made it mandatory for any of their pupils who cycle in to wear a helmet.

There are loads of funky helmets on the market so let your child pick out their own - they'll then be more likely to want to wear it.

Riding gloves and knee and elbow pads are also a good idea to protect your child from bumps and scrapes - especially if he's only just progressed from stabilsers!

Be seen

It can be hard to be seen on the pavement, let alone the road so make your child stands out by wearing high visibility clothing and a reflective jacket or sash.

Lights and reflectors on the front and rear of the bike are also essential. Make sure your child cleans them regularly otherwise they won't be seen.

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A helmet could save your child's life, but it's pretty improbable. That 85% research claim is misleading and probably came from the study mentioned in http://www. cyclehelmets.org /1131.html - if you do decide to curse your child with a heavy helmet to balance on their head while they themselves are still learning to balance on a bike, please make sure it is fitted correctly and tightly, so at least you aren't placing them at unnecessary risk of strangulation or concussion. The most important thing is to teach them to watch the road and spot potential dangers so they can avoid trouble: a helmet will make little difference if they are hit by a larger vehicle.